Vatican: Conclave begins: Catholic Church chooses new Pope

A new Pope will be elected in the Vatican this Wednesday. Two and a half weeks after the death of Pope Francis, 133 cardinals from all over the world come together in the Sistine chapel to decide on its successor without any contact. The first ballot takes place in the afternoon. A decision is not yet expected.

A two -thirds majority is required for the election to the Pontifex – the 267th Pope in two thousands of church history. There are 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. The previous number two of the Catholic Church State, Cardinal State Secretary Pietro parolin, act as a favorite. The 70-year-old also heads the conclave as the highest cardinal. There are three cardinals from Germany.

Nobody expects with white smoke

Before the conclave, the church tops come together in the morning to form a big mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. There are also cardinals that are 80 years or older. After that, the other 133 are among themselves. After a lunch break it goes into the Sistine chapel – one of the most beautiful polling stations in the world. There, the cardinals have to swear an oath to God that they have a ban on contact and confidentiality. You have to hand in cell phones, smartphones and all other digital devices.

The first ballot takes place in the afternoon – and then in the early evening of black smoke, the Sistine Chapel will rise. Nobody expects that a new Pontifex will be chosen immediately. The smoke is white only with a two -thirds majority – at least 89 votes. That could take. If the time has come, it is announced from the balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica: Habemus Papam (we have a Pope). Then the new head of the church shows the public.

Three German cardinals choose with

At the moment, nobody knows how long you have to wait for this moment. Since the 1960s, the complies have only lasted two or three days. This time there are quite a few that expect a longer period of time. The German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller (77) told the German Press Agency that he had his suitcase packed for “five or six days”. “You have to be prepared. But of course everyone hopes that it will not take that long. Everyone wants to go home.”

From Germany, the two cardinals Reinhard Marx (71) from Munich and Rainer Maria Woelki (68) from Cologne are also included. The probability that it was 20 years after the election of Benedict XVI. again gives a German pope. In the Italian press, however, the well -networked Marx is acted as one of the possible “royal makers” – as someone who can move the conclave in the direction of a specific candidate.

Lists with possible successors longer and longer

The lists with possible successors for Franziskus recently became longer from day to day. In addition to slogan, two other Italians are considered candidates: the Archbishop of Bologna, Matteo Zuppi (69), and the patriarch by Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa (60). In the candidate carousel, the Philippiner Luis Antonio Tagle (67), the Frenchman Jean-Marc -veline (66), the Portuguese José Tolentino de Mendonça (59), the Hungarian Peter Erdö (72), the Luxembourg Jean-Claude Hollerich (66)-and a few more.

If there is no agreement in the first round as expected, the chosen will be chosen twice in the future in the future – until the matter is decided. Most Vatican connoisseurs expect this to be done this week. The Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who then gave himself the Pope name Francis, was elected in 2013 after a day and a half, in the fifth ballot. He headed the Catholic World Church until his death on Easter Monday at the age of 88.

Deputy of Jesus Christ on earth

According to Catholic theory of faith, the Pope is the successor to the apostle Peter and deputy of Jesus Christ on earth. He is also Bishop of Rome, Primas of Italy and head of state of the Vatican. He doesn’t have great world power. But it is a moral authority for many people. Francis repeatedly spoke up to current questions. He did not shy away from criticism of powerful.

In contrast to his immediate predecessors, the Argentinian waived many privileges and status symbols. He was not buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, but in the Marienkirche Santa Maria Maggiore near the main train station – his favorite church in Rome.